Ontario tops website’s speed trap list

RADAR

Ontario has the worst speed traps in North America, says a poll based on online votes published by the United States-based National Motorists Association.

The self-described drivers’ rights organization runs the National Speed Trap Exchange website, which allows the public to post locations and descriptions of apparent speed traps, or zones in which officers stealthily enforce the speed limit. Cities, provinces and states were then ranked by the number of people who clicked in agreement with user-posted hot spots for cops lurking with radar guns. Numbers were adjusted for population.

Hamilton came in fourth for “worst speed trap cities” with populations over 50,000, while Windsor was third and Mississauga fifth. No. 1 and 2 on the list were Flower Mound, Texas, and Livonia, Mich., respectively.

The NMA, which advocates for increased speed limits and an end to speed traps, calculated the rankings based on postings from the past five years.

Spokesperson John Bowden said the poll is meant to draw attention to the prevalence of speed traps and the public’s dislike of them.

“They represent an abuse against motorists, they don’t improve highway safety, and in reality, they don’t slow traffic speeds down, either; there are better ways to do that,” said Bowden, whose organization has 9,000 members and argues that many speed limits are set too low, causing congestion and greater risk of collision.

Ontario’s roads are the safest in North America, said Sergeant Dave Woodford of the OPP traffic safety division.

He said the OPP doesn’t use “speed traps,” though officers may focus efforts on problem areas. And going faster is not safer, Woodford said.

“I would say in the majority of our fatals and serious crashes, speed is a factor,” said Woodford. “They’re going too fast. To increase the speed limit just encourages people to go faster. And I think that is unsafe.”

Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Bob Nichols said Ontario had the lowest fatality rate in North America in 2009, at 0.62 per cent per 10,000 licensed drivers. Speed was a factor in 20 per cent of the 564 fatalities that year, Nichols said in an email.

“Considerable research has been conducted on the effects of changing the posted speed limit, particularly in the United States,” said Nichols. “Experience in other jurisdictions indicates that fatal collisions can increase with higher speed limits.”